Former BJP president Bangaru Laxman passes away in Secunderabad

Secunderabad, March 1: Former BJP president Bangaru Laxman passed away in Secunderabad on Saturday evening. The 74-year-old leader was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad last week since he was suffering from prolonged illness.

He was president of the BJP between 2000 and 2001 and Union Minister of State for Railways between 1999 and 2000.

Laxman was born in Andhra Pradesh and was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1996. He was in media headlines when a sting operation by Tehelka magazine 2001. He was caught accepting bribes to facilitate government contracts from journalists posing as arms dealers. He was convicted by a special CBI court in 2012.

He sentenced to four years in jail. He was granted bail in April 2012 on health grounds. He had resigned from the BJP's national executive after the judgment.